Tragically, a devastating incident occurred in central China's Henan province, where at least 13 students lost their lives in a fire that erupted in a school dormitory, as reported by official media on Saturday.
The heartbreaking incident unfolded at the Yingcai School in Yanshanpu village, Henan, with the local fire department receiving the report at 11 pm local time on Friday night, according to The People's Daily.
The victims were all third-grade students, revealed a teacher speaking to Zonglan News, a state-backed media outlet from Hebei province. One individual rescued from the scene is currently receiving treatment in the hospital, reported CCTV, China's state broadcaster.
Promptly responding rescuers arrived at the scene, successfully extinguishing the flames by 11:38 pm. The school manager, situated near Nanyang City, has been detained, and an investigation is currently underway, as reported by BBC.
Official channels have not disclosed further details regarding the identities of the deceased or the cause of the fire. However, it was reported that firefighters managed to extinguish the fire within an hour of being alerted, according to Xinhua.
The boarding school primarily serves elementary-grade students, with an attached kindergarten. Regrettably, fatal fires in China are not uncommon, often attributed to lax enforcement of building and safety standards.
In November, a tragic incident unfolded in Luliang City, Shanxi province, claiming 26 lives as a large fire engulfed an office building. Similarly, in April of the previous year, a hospital fire in Beijing resulted in the loss of at least 29 lives, mostly patients, prompting an investigation that led to the detention of 12 individuals by the police for questioning.
